The ER Episode They Didn't Show
by DanieXJ
Summary: A small story that takes place around Christmas 2002. It's sort of a Sandy/Kerry story, except that technically Sandy isn't in it. Also, it takes place before "A Little Help From My Friends" and the events that Kerry goes through in that Episode.


Disclaimers: Don't own 'em, don't want to, don't plan to...just playing with them for a while...

**Place in the ER universe:** Takes place before "A Little Help From My Friends" (09x11)

**A/N:** I blame this story entirely on the fact that I listened to the audio of the Grinch way too many times on CD... :)

* * *

><p>Kerry plunked her backpack down in her locker and rolled her shoulders. Carter spoke from behind her, "Thank you Kerry...you didn't ha..."<p>

Kerry held a hand up as she turned towards Carter, "You and Abby take it easy, spend some time together, and don't you dare talk about work..." Kerry raised an eyebrow, "I will know..."

"Are you sure?...I mean..."

"Go John..."

Carter started to leave and then turned back, "Romano is on the warpath. Chen and Pratt are off, Luka, Susan are on...I don't think Erin is in, but Gallant is..."

Kerry pointed at the door, "I get it, I'm going, I'm going...Have a Merry Christmas Kerry."

"You too John."

* * *

><p>Kerry surveyed her ER, "Only one board, that's a good sign..."<p>

"For you..."

Kerry looked over at Randi, who was in a bit of a sour mood to say the least, "Don't you have New Year's Eve off?"

Randi practically whacked her boos on the back, "You're right...Although it is too... you know what..."

"Quiet"

Chuny groaned, "Did you have to say that Dr. Weaver?"

Kerry shrugged and looked around for the shock of blonde hair, "Where's Susan?"

Chuny gestured towards the exam rooms, "In with someone. Tragic butt meeting ice accident...course, then the doc rolled down the hill."

Kerry winced, "Do I have to do paperwork on this little spill?"

"Wasn't from County." Randi popped her gum and went back to her...well, whatever it was that she did.

"And Luka?"

Luka shook himself off, the snow flying everywhere. "The snow has turned into a bit of a blizzard." As he walked down the hall he kept mumbling about how the pretty weather girl was going to get a call from him so that he could inform her that her so called 'flurries' were not so flurry.

Gallant was the next snow covered person to stumble through the door, and he came with a sneeze and a wince. "It's definitely snowing out there."

* * *

><p>Kerry entered the exam room looking at the chart. "Now, what seems to...Christy...I didn't recognize your last name..."<p>

Christy raised a hand and wiggled the fingers in a strength-less greeting. "Yeah, I..." she coughed for almost a minute. As she caught her breath Kerry started her examination.

A few minutes later Kerry shook her head, "Pneumonia...sorry." Kerry took off the gloves and  
>deposited them in the happy little biohazard trash bin.<p>

Christy made an unkind and contorted face before she disolved into coughs again, "I hate that, I guess it's better that I know huh?"

Kerry nodded and handed Christy the scrip for her medicine. "Hot Tea, Vicks and anything else that is soothing to your throat will help with the uncomfortableness..."

Christy nodded and followed Kerry out to the admit desk. "Have you seen Kim lately?"

Kerry frowned as she handed Christy's chart over the admit desk, "Why would you say that?"

Christy shrugged, "Just wondered...never mind..."

Kerry nodded as Randi stopped in front of her and didn't move a muscle, "Okay, now I know something is wrong because you're not saying a word. What? If it is Romano, I'm in the mood to castrate him myself tonight..."

Randi shook her head, "Romano went home for the day, Dr. Corday is on ER call."

"Yay..."

Randi bit her lip, and succeeded in not laughing, barely, "Two things, the heat is on the fritz...

Kerry closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Okay, what else?"

Randi simply pointed out the ambulance bay doors. Although the snow hadn't piled up like it had only weeks ago, it was entirely white out conditions. Kerry took a deep breath, "What patients do we have?"

Gallant spoke up, "And elderly gentleman who had a stroke, a mother and her son that Luka is working on, the visiting dr. who broke her ankle, and..."

Christy coughed, "Me..."

Kerry nodded, "Okay, well, there isn't a lot we can do, and for once, there isn't a humongous crisis going on at the same time. I assume that we're closed to trauma except for the last resort?" Susan nodded, "As for the heat, if it goes out...it goes out." She looked down at her watch, "Oh, Merry Christmas everyone,,,"

Everyone glanced over at the clock, it was 12:05am. They mumbled their Merry Christmases to everyone else and went to find something to do.

* * *

><p>Susan came out of the lounge and plopped herself down at the admit desk, "Kerry is in a bit of a mood...think it is girlfriend trouble?"<p>

Randi shook her head, "Who knows these days...could just be that time of month."

Luka mumbled, "Isn't it always that time of month for you women?"

Susan held back the urge to smack the back of the male doctor's head. "What is your problem Luka? And if you even think about saying, 'I don't have one' well, you might have seen a Weavering, but have you ever seen a proper Lewising?"

Luka rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Maybe it's in the water."

"It is most assuredly in the water."

Randi turned at the voice and her eyes bulged, "Dr Legs...you're the clumsy doc?"

Kim rolled her eyes good naturedly, "Something like that...so, we're stuck here?"

As Kerry strode out of the lounge Elizabeth called out to her from near the elevator. Kerry met the surgeon half-way.

Kim watched them, "How has she been?"

Randi made a face, "Generally scrooge like. Girlfriend is the best guess of the County Grapevine."

Kim blinked, "Girlfriend." She wasn't sure what surprised her more, the fact that Kerry had stayed on her team, or the fact that Kerry seemed to be out to her co-workers.

Randi nodded slowly, "Uh, you knew didn't you, that she's gay...the gay sonar?"

Kim smiled, "Right...the sonar..."

Randi leaned in close to Kim's head, "She's also..." the desk clerk looked around. She knew if what she was to say next got around her head would be on the chopping platter, especially since she wasn't supposed to know yet. "...pregnant..." Kim blinked for a few moments, "I'm not supposed to know I think..."

Christy draped her arm over Kim's shoulders. "Hey friend...I would have been over sooner but I've been coughing for half-an-hour..."

As Chuny shot out of one of the exam rooms and called for a couple of docs since Mr. Hortan was crashing Kim took a step back, "No offense Chris, but I like my health at the moment..."

"Harumph...fine, I'll go sit in chairs and cough up my other lung..."

Kim restrained a laugh and winced as Luka bumped into her on his way to another of the exam rooms. Probably to the one were the young boy's screaming was coming from. Kim smiled softly, "And I thought Psych was jumpin'...everyday is Mardi Gras down here..."

Randi held her head in her hand, "You aren't kidding..."

* * *

><p>Kerry came out of the room and took off her bloodied garments leaving them in a bin. "Why is that child causing more noise than Manhiem Steamroller?"<p>

Everyone stared back at her and she shook her head, "Never mind." Kerry walked up to the young boy, who was perched on the Admit desk bawling his eyes out. "What's you're name hun?"

The Kid sniffed a few times before answering, "Joey..."

"Well Joey, why are you so upset?"

"My Mommy..."

Kerry nodded slowly, "Well, you'll be able to see her very soon okay?"

Joey's bottom lip stuck out, "And I don't get any presents..."

Kerry hid a grin as she picked him up off the counter with her non-crutch arm, "Well, I might have something to remedy that. Have you ever seen 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'?"

Joey smiled and bounced a little in Kerry's arms, "With Carrey?"

Kerry shook her head sadly, "No, even better, with Boris Karloff and Thurl Ravenscroft." She glanced over at the admit desk, "Hi Kim."

Kerry made it all the way into the lounge before she did a double take, "Wait a second, Kim?" She shook her head, "Shouldn't have had that last eggnog. Now Joey, let's find that video..." She put him down and started searching, "I know it is here somewhere..."

* * *

><p>"You're a bad banana with a...greasy black peel..." Kerry whistled along with the T.V.<p>

Kim tapped Kerry on the shoulder. They had been avoiding each other, well, Kim had been avoiding Kerry for the most part. But she finally took the reindeer by the horns, "Are you really?"

Kerry rolled her eyes, but a small smirk slipped out, "Oh yes, I'm bad to the bone, as a banana, well, that's a little too symbolic for me." Kim snorted a laugh. "So, I didn't imagine you after all?"

Kim nodded and took a step back so that they could both have their personal space. "I kind of wish that I was only in your imagination, cause then I wouldn't be in pain. I'm finding that I hate ice..."

Kerry winced, "Sorry." Kim shrugged and they were at an impass. Kerry looked up at the board and shook her head, "What am I doing, there hasn't been anyone new for hours." She turned towards Randi, "I'll be outside, I need some air." Randi started to say something, but Kerry interrupted her, "Open your mouth and you're working New Year's Eve."

Randi held her hands up, but to her credit didn't utter a word. Kim looked between the door and Kerry, and the latter gave an aggrieved sigh, "Come on already, get you're coat. You're going to come crutching out there after me anyway. At least this way I can make sure you don't kill yourself on the ice again."

Kim started to say something, but instead just met Randi's eyes and they both shook their heads.

* * *

><p>Kerry crossed her arms and watched the snow blow almost parallel to the ground. Kim rubbed her nose to try to get it to warm up just a little, "Joey seems to like the original Grinch."<p>

Kerry shrugged, "Carrey isn't bad, but the Grinch wasn't supposed to have a teary backstory. He was just evil, he saw the good of good thanks to a child and the spirit of Christmas and his heart grew three sizes that day..."

"Is that what you're trying to do Kerry? You and your girlfriend?"

Kerry pursed her lips and stared forward, "I don't know...I can feel the life in me. Okay, so it is mostly my imagination, but I've seen him, her...whatever...I have a life inside of me. It  
>is..."<p>

"I'm glad you're happy. Christmas should be a happy time." Kerry nodded, "You lost the elderly man, Mr. Hortan I heard Chuny say?" Kerry nodded, "And your girlfriend is stuck at a place that's not here?" Kerry nodded, "Well, I mean, I am a professional shoulder..."

This brought a short snort of laughter out of Kerry and she finally looked over at Kim, "What are you doing here Kim?"

"New Chief of Psych..."

Kerry raised an eyebrow, "I have one very important question."

"Yes?" Kim wasn't sure what to expect.

Kerry put her hands in her pockets, "Does that mean that we'll actually get Psych consults down within 48 hours?"

Kim laughed and wiggled her eyebrows, "We'll see."

Kerry seemed to realize something, "Wait, Robert...hired...you?"

Kim nodded, "I was befuddled, surprised and bamboozeled as well."

Kerry nodded and looked back at the snow that slowing down a bit, "So, we'll see a bit of each other..."

Kim nodded slowly, "That won't be a problem for your...I don't actually know her name..."

"Sandy Lopez, a firefighter..."

Kim smiled, "I'm glad, I mean, I figure, if I can be friends with Christy." Kerry smiled, "For you and me it should be a snap and cinch rolled into one right? To be friends? If you want?" Kim ended her statement with a hopeful but guarded face.

Kerry put a hand on Kim's shoulder and Kim laid a hand on Kerry's arm, "Well, we failed horribly at girlfriends, can't do worse than that..."

Kim winced but nodded with a smile, "Good, now I'm going back inside because it's friggin' freezing outside in case you didn't notice..."

Kerry nodded and Kim crutched with her wooded crutches back into the ER. Kerry looked back out at the lessening snow. "We'll be able to open back up. Damn..." She shook her head and looked down at the arm that Kim had gripped, "'It came without ribbons, it came without tags, it came without packages, boxes, or bags.' Ted Geisel you were a very very smart man."

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><p>Fin ~ December 20th, 2002<p> 


End file.
